Michael Jordan is back in the game.
The NBA superstar and his jersey number, 23, are the centerpiece of a continuity campaign from collectible card marketer Upper Deck. The campaign supports the national launch this week of Upper Deck’s latest collection of UD Basketball cards, and coincides with the 20th anniversary of Jordan’s rookie card.
The kid-targeted campaign kicks off this week with “The Hunt for 23,” a contest that asks card collectors under 17 to find “23” somewhere on a card—in another player’s stats, or his personal data—and register that card online at FleerKids.com. Each registered card will be assigned points, and make the cardholder eligible to win one of the prizes awarded each month. The top prize is a trip to Michael Jordan Flight School, a basketball camp run by Jordan during the summer.
Upper Deck also will tuck some one-of-a-kind collectibles into packs of its Fleer Basketball cards, most notably a rookie-year card autographed by Jordan. Upper Deck (which bought Fleer in 2005 and retains the brand name) bought the card back from a collector and had Jordan autograph it for this promotion.
Other items seeded into card packs include other “buy-back” cards signed by 1986-87 rookies; a Top 10 Michael Jordan Moments card; cards with current rookies from the 2006-07 season mimicking Jordan’s distinctive rookie-card pose, soaring towards the basket; and cards with photos of NFL and NBA rookies holding the Jordan rookie card, with an essay on back about what MJ means to them.
“Michael has been a big part of Upper Deck’s success for nearly two decades,” said Chris Hunt, Upper Deck’s basketball product marketing manager, in a statement. “With this launch, we’re excited to again work with Michael, creating never-before-seen products and promotions that give a new generation of fans insight into his worldwide impact on basketball and on all of sports.”
Jordan, who retired from the NBA in 1993 and again in 1999 after four more years on the court, has been Upper Deck’s spokesperson for 10 years.
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